Have you noticed how our lives have gotten more stressful? We tend to add to our stress each day with more to do or getting more done in less time. Our jobs demand it, our family’s demand it and we don’t consider what it is doing to us or our bodies. Stress affects our bodies that the medical community doesn’t quite understand. It is blamed for so many ailments without any way to medically cure it. Here are some ways to reduce it.
1. Meditate. Meditation can take several forms; you don’t have to formal about it or do it for very long. Just sit in solitude. Any thoughts that come in let them go by and get back to solitude, focus on your breathing. When focusing on your breathing, notice how the air fills your lungs and then when it leaves your lungs. You won’t be thinking or stressing out. You are getting unplugged from the daily stress.
2. Reading. Instead of turning on the TV or the computer that keeps you plugged into the daily stresses of the world, open a book and don’t forget to turn off your cell. Better yet turn on your ebook reader and save some trees. Ebook readers are far better than books in a few ways. Most ebooks are cheaper than books; you can download and start reading in a few minutes. You don’t have to travel to the book store or have one ordered and sent burning fossil fuels to get something to read.
3. Hiking. Hiking or walking is a great way to unplug and is one of my favorites. Being outside around nature can be a wonderful way to reconnect to ourselves. This can be just a day hike or even an overnight backpacking. Notice all the trees, flowers, birds and any other animals that might be around. A park is a great place to just be outside if there is one close by. You soon forget what was so stressful. It clears your head so you can think better and make better decisions.
4. Writing. There are a couple of different ways you can write to get unplugged. Doing a journal of the day’s events is one or a journal of the days events and your thoughts and feelings about the days events. Just taking the time to write it down is therapeutic and can be stress reducing.
5. Yoga. Yoga or any exercise is not only a way to deal with the day but helps with getting healthier. This can be done for 15 minutes and still get all the benefits. This can be said for walking or hiking.
6. Massage. Can I say more, than the incredibly obvious. If you don’t feel comfortable with a full massage, just do a chair massage, it will cost less and you will be able to relax without taking off your clothes.
We don’t have to do each one every day but doing one each day will benefit us. Any way to get unplugged from the daily stress is a good thing. Let me know your way of getting unplugged.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
A look at getting unplugged from everyday stuff
Inspired by Be More with Less and Live Bold and Beautiful, I was wondering how much I can get unplugged from everyday things. On Be More with Less blog Courtney asked if you packed a suit case to leave and never come back what would you take, was a hard but fun way for me to really look at what I would leave behind and what I wouldn’t. There wasn’t much that I would take with me if I did this. Other than clothes and my car (which wouldn’t fit in my suitcase, the car, not my clothes) I listed my laptop with external hard drives, my Nikon camera, my kindle, my crystals, a Lee Bogle painting Stirrings of the Heart, IPhone and my hiking gear. I would include my son and grandson with this but I didn’t want to put them in my suit case so they will have to be in my car instead. I focused on what I loved and not what would be a necessity. This to me is amazing that I have so much that I don’t love. This makes me wonder why I have them. In Live Bold and Beautiful Barrie suggested that we go through our house and look at what we have and examine why we have it. If it isn’t something you love then why have it. Does it feed your ego or make you feel better about yourself? Then there isn’t a reason to have it, she also went into buying mindlessly and listed what she thought buying mindlessly meant. All to simplify our lives.
Both were very good in making me think about minimalizing what I have and simplifying my life and getting unplugged to mindless buying. Because of this I didn’t buy piece of work out equipment that I would use for a month or two and let it sit collecting dust until I decided to get rid of it for much less than I bought it for. If I would have done this years ago I would be better off financially, would have a smaller place to live in which would save money and energy. I am all for that. I have been after my mom to declutter and go through all of her stuff and I think I have finally gotten through to her. She has donated quite a bit of stuff after a garage sale. So she has made some money and allowed a nice tax deduction for next years tax filings.
Now the hard part comes, allowing myself to get rid of the rest of my stuff that didn’t fit in my suite case. I will donate clothes that I no longer wear and will sell what I can and the rest will get recycled or thrown away if it isn’t donatable. For me this is all about getting unplugged. There is more to do but it doesn’t have to happen over night. Remember it is a process, some things will take time to let go of what ever attachment we have put on them. Let me know how you are doing with Getting Unplugged from everyday stuff.
Both were very good in making me think about minimalizing what I have and simplifying my life and getting unplugged to mindless buying. Because of this I didn’t buy piece of work out equipment that I would use for a month or two and let it sit collecting dust until I decided to get rid of it for much less than I bought it for. If I would have done this years ago I would be better off financially, would have a smaller place to live in which would save money and energy. I am all for that. I have been after my mom to declutter and go through all of her stuff and I think I have finally gotten through to her. She has donated quite a bit of stuff after a garage sale. So she has made some money and allowed a nice tax deduction for next years tax filings.
Now the hard part comes, allowing myself to get rid of the rest of my stuff that didn’t fit in my suite case. I will donate clothes that I no longer wear and will sell what I can and the rest will get recycled or thrown away if it isn’t donatable. For me this is all about getting unplugged. There is more to do but it doesn’t have to happen over night. Remember it is a process, some things will take time to let go of what ever attachment we have put on them. Let me know how you are doing with Getting Unplugged from everyday stuff.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Why aren’t we able to grow Industrial Hemp?
I am talking industrial hemp and not recreational hemp. Even though there is medical benefits of it, but that would be for another time. Industrial hemp is long been used for so many things. The government agencies that enforce the laws concerning hemp refuses to recognize that it isn’t marijuana. Until then the federal government will trample once again on states rights. North Dakota has made it legal to grow hemp but farmers are not allowed because of the federal government.
Hemp can be used for clothing, food, crude oil substitute, pharmaceutical, paper, building materials (hemcrete or hempcrete) and so many other type of products. Hemp seeds are one of two most nutritious foods know to us. It is fast growing, virtually organic; it doesn’t need herbicide since it is its own weed control and very little pesticides. It improves soil with its deep root system and it releases nitrogen back into the soil. It produces more oxygen than carbon dioxide it would produce if burned. Quick growing and renewable makes it eco friendly. 1 acre of hemp produces more pulp than 4 acres of trees; we could save so many trees from being cut for the sole purpose of making paper. So why are we not using hemp more? Why is the government keeping it on the illegal list? In WWII it was advertised to be patriotic and what is best for the country to help win the war was to grow hemp. Thanks to President Nixon it is on the illegal to grow list and the agency’s that profit from destroying this ditch weed instead of marijuana doesn’t want to give up all the funding and confiscated property. There are more cops and more high tech equipment that they now have to perpetuate this unconstitutional law. I find it incomprehensible that this is allowed to even exist; we are not talking about a narcotic. In fact there is no way that hemp seed or hemp oil plants could get you high. The THC is low and CBD is high which blocks the THC effect. In other words you could smoke it all day long and not even get any effect from it.
Hemp is one of the strongest natural fiber and it was used to clean up the soil around Chernobyl by sucking up radioactive toxins from the soil. How many places in the United States that we could use this to clean up toxic soil?
Thomas Jefferson once wrote “Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth and protection of the country“
U.S. president George Washington once wrote, “Make the most of the Indian Hemp Seed and sow it everywhere!“
What do you think, should the United States repeal this law keeping us from growing industrial hemp?
Hemp can be used for clothing, food, crude oil substitute, pharmaceutical, paper, building materials (hemcrete or hempcrete) and so many other type of products. Hemp seeds are one of two most nutritious foods know to us. It is fast growing, virtually organic; it doesn’t need herbicide since it is its own weed control and very little pesticides. It improves soil with its deep root system and it releases nitrogen back into the soil. It produces more oxygen than carbon dioxide it would produce if burned. Quick growing and renewable makes it eco friendly. 1 acre of hemp produces more pulp than 4 acres of trees; we could save so many trees from being cut for the sole purpose of making paper. So why are we not using hemp more? Why is the government keeping it on the illegal list? In WWII it was advertised to be patriotic and what is best for the country to help win the war was to grow hemp. Thanks to President Nixon it is on the illegal to grow list and the agency’s that profit from destroying this ditch weed instead of marijuana doesn’t want to give up all the funding and confiscated property. There are more cops and more high tech equipment that they now have to perpetuate this unconstitutional law. I find it incomprehensible that this is allowed to even exist; we are not talking about a narcotic. In fact there is no way that hemp seed or hemp oil plants could get you high. The THC is low and CBD is high which blocks the THC effect. In other words you could smoke it all day long and not even get any effect from it.
Hemp is one of the strongest natural fiber and it was used to clean up the soil around Chernobyl by sucking up radioactive toxins from the soil. How many places in the United States that we could use this to clean up toxic soil?
Thomas Jefferson once wrote “Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth and protection of the country“
U.S. president George Washington once wrote, “Make the most of the Indian Hemp Seed and sow it everywhere!“
What do you think, should the United States repeal this law keeping us from growing industrial hemp?
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